Joshua Baez exploded onto the MLB scene for the Cardinals in their Saturday showdown against the Cubs, launching three home runs in his very first three at-bats. It was an absolutely wild debut, a first in baseball history, and one bettor rode that wave to a sweet four-figure payday.
Joshua Baez Goes Ballistic
Talk about making an entrance! Expectations were modest for Baez hitting even one homer in his MLB debut. Sportsbooks had him in the +500 range just to go yard. He crushed that expectation in the first inning with a 449-foot, two-run bomb, putting St. Louis up 3-0. What a start, right? But the oddsmakers apparently didn’t see a historic day coming. After that first dinger, Fanatics Sportsbook posted a live market for Baez to hit three or more homers with massive +15000 odds. Some savvy customer, with ten bucks to spare, decided to take a flyer. Baez then belted a solo shot in the fourth, giving the Cards a 4-3 lead. Not done yet, the rookie followed with another two-run blast in the sixth, pushing St. Louis to a 6-3 advantage on their way to an 8-4 victory. That audacious $10 bet? It turned into a cool $1,510 in about 90 minutes. Now that is a return on investment anyone can appreciate!
Soccer Whales Make Millions
While Baez was smashing baseballs, some serious money was changing hands in the world of soccer. With the English Premier League’s 2026-27 season just kicking off, the annual Community Shield provided some high-stakes action between Arsenal and Manchester City. Arsenal, last season’s EPL champs, faced Manchester City, the FA Cup winner. One massive bettor on Polymarket put down an eye-popping $1,873,916.76 on three or more goals being scored in that Sunday match. It was almost a coin flip at 54% odds, or -117. Man City didn’t help, but Arsenal delivered all the necessary goals in their dominant 3-0 victory. That customer walked away with a profit of $1,592,448.24, bringing their total payout to an astounding $3,466,365! And the big money didn’t stop there. The Super Cup on Wednesday saw reigning Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain take on Europa League winner Aston Villa. Another Polymarket customer wagered $319,501.82 on PSG to win the match. PSG came through with a 2-1 win, and that trader cleared a profit of $234,900.18, for a total payout of $554,402. Talk about knowing your football!
Big Fights, Big Bets
The action wasn’t confined to the diamond or the pitch. Saturday night’s UFC 330 card in Philadelphia also drew significant attention on prediction markets. Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, in the main event, was a particular focus for big wagers.
What a week of high-stakes sports action and even higher-stakes betting! From a rookie making history on the baseball field to massive payouts in soccer and big money on the UFC, it just goes to show that when the games are played, anything can happen, and sometimes, those wild long shots really do come through.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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